Former UK Energy Minister Michael Fallon has called for tougher measures to secure greater lifetime local content targets from future offshore wind projects.
The sector deal, which is currently being negotiated with industry and energy department BEIS, should include options to independently verify figures published by developers for on the level of work domestic contractors carry out, he told reNEWS.
The comments came ahead of a presentation of an updated version of Fallon’s offshore wind supply chain study ‘Winning Locally, Going Global’ in north-east England recently.
Fallon said third-party auditing will also clarify to what extent UK companies benefit from both capital and operational expenditure at projects.
“Developers need to know they are being watched,” he said.
Fallon called on the industry to appoint local supply chain commissioners to help it meet new targets.
Commissioners would have a role assisting small and medium companies that wish to enter the market and would also offer an appeal mechanism for domestic companies that feel badly treated during procurement, he suggested.
The sector deal is targeting lifetime local content figures of at least 60%. Fallon said meeting that target will allow firms to make the investments needed to compete in new offshore wind markets abroad.
“Our companies cannot simply hobble from one contract to the next,” he said.
“There is no reason why the UK can’t fabricate for the rest of the world.”
Image, left to right: Michael Fallon, Tekmar chairman Alasdair MacDonald, DeepOcean cable installation managing director Pierre Boyd and Wilton Engineering chief executive Bill Scott.